Untitled Sermon (5)
Our Burdens, Our Battles, and Our Bibles
By Melvin Worthington
Scripture: James 1:1–27, especially verse 22: But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Introduction: The real test of Christianity, James tells us, is obedience—“being doers of the Word and not hearers only.” That’s the message of this brother of our Lord who wrote the first of the seven General Epistles in the New Testament. He wanted to correct the Jewish notion that their possession and knowledge of the law of God could justify them even though they disobeyed it. James rightly taught that conversion evidences itself in character—in a changed life. In other words belief affects behavior, creed affects conduct, and doctrine affects deportment. James 1 deals with Christians and their burdens (vv. 1–11), their battles (vv. 12–18) and their Bible (vv. 19–27).
1. Christians and Their Burdens—Tested by Trials from Without (vv. 1–11). James taught that:
A. Problems enlarge the Christian (vv. 1–4). A correct understanding of the nature and purpose of trials will enable one to respond and react correctly to them. One needs to understand the purpose, privilege, and provision for trials. Spiritual maturity is God’s goal for the Christian. We must focus on the process and product produced through trials. The pathway to maturity is found in James 1:1–4.
B. Prayer enlightens the Christian (vv. 5–8). Christians are exhorted to pray for wisdom (v. 5), and to pray in faith (v. 6). They must exercise believing prayer, expecting God to answer with the wisdom needed for every trouble and trial. Praying in faith expects God to answer (v. 7). The identified enemy of praying in faith for wisdom is double-mindedness (v. 8).
C. Perception enables the Christian (vv. 9–11). When we perceive that our trials are directed and designed by God to strengthen and purify us, we can face them with assurance that God is tempering us through our trials. Trials are therefore to be looked upon as a means of blessing and received with joy, that we “may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.”
2. Christians and Their Battles—Tested by Temptations from Within (vv. 12–18). Here James wants us to understand:
A. The blessing of endurance (v. 12). Temptation, as this verse suggests, is an inner battle. The temptations we face are not from God but from within ourselves. Our own hearts prove to be the source of these temptations (Matt. 15:19). Endurance brings happiness, holiness and honor. God guarantees blessings to those who endure temptations.
B. The basis of enticement (vv. 13–15). We must not blame God for our temptations. The essential cause of temptation is the sinful nature within every one of us. We should be aware of the genesis of evil, the growth of evil, and the grief of evil. Temptation begins with desires (lust), continues with deeds (sin), and climaxes in death (doom). But we can resist, persevere, endure, and lean upon God’s Word. That brings us to:
3. Christians and Their Bibles—Tested by Truth that is Written (vv. 19–27). James admonishes his readers to be ready to hear, to be reluctant to speak, and to be reasonable in wrath. Christians must guard their disposition and attitude. We must restrain our passions and receive the precepts, submitting to the Word (vv. 21–22). The engrafted Word is to be received with meekness, for it is able to save one’s soul (v. 21). Hearers of the Word must become doers (v. 22). This is the burden of James’ message—don’t only hear the Word; do it! How easy it is to hear the Word and to agree with it, but not perform it! It is the Word that is able to bring us into the experience of God’s salvation that delivers us from sin’s penalty, power, and presence. Those who hear the Word and fail to become doers of the Word are deceiving themselves. The proper disposition when receiving the Word will evidence itself in the proper deeds following that reception. James tells us that the Word of God is inspired (v. 18), implanted (v. 21), and indispensable (v. 25).
Conclusion: God molds, matures, and magnifies His children through their trials and burdens, through their temptations and battles, and through the truth—the Bible. Are we passing God’s test as we journey by faith?